Catharsis
by Findingmynewdream
Summary: Flynn Rider isn't really a normal thief. Stealing to get away with it, not for real fame or money. Rapunzel isn't a normal girl- with an extremely long cloak and a longer imagination, Corona  and Flynn  won't know what hit them.
1. Chapter 1

The funny thing about meeting someone who changes you is that you don't remember who you were before.

So, naturally Flynn Rider assumed he was still the same awesome guy he'd always known himself to be- or portrayed himself as. He actually didn't know who he really was, but others saw him as this wonderful, hot, kick-ass guy and well, if others saw him saw that, why shouldn't that be who he was? He smirked, biting into the apple that would serve as a midnight-snack. He felt no shame in stealing from the people of Corona. A money-grabbing place in general, they could afford to lose one apple. Well, one apple and the countless things he'd stolen before. Perhaps the man pushing the cart of apples couldn't afford for the apple to be taken and then eaten graciously by Flynn, but he didn't really see a point in caring about the cart owner's feelings towards this particular apple. However, it was a damn good apple.

Flynn finished it, tossing it off the extremely long bridge that separated Corona from the surrounding Forrest. Once it left his hands, he forgot about it. Like a lot of things, his mind didn't like to stray on things that could be used up. Not that a lot of things could be used up per say, but there were a lot of things, and people, that Flynn didn't really think about. Like the apple. And the countless women he could go visit right now if he wanted to. And all the things he'd stolen.

Of course, he couldn't really do very much about the apple now, even if he'd wanted to. Like he couldn't really go return all the things he'd taken or go back to those women and give back all those nights. So he was content with not thinking of the things that weren't really defining to his life. So he didn't think of them.

Flynn sighed, looking across to Corona. There wasn't really much about Corona that interested him, or anyone he figured. He supposed if he'd actually been raised there it might be a bit more exotic each time he walked along the cobbled streets, but most of the time he found himself ducking behind the shops and fountains, trying to avoid being seen by the officers or leaders of the Sun. They constantly wanted him to join, despite them knowing he was a recluse thief. He had none of the patience they so willingly flaunted. Peace. That was their main hook for the suckers they commandeered. Peace and a whole new kind of leadership. Flynn didn't really care how the Sun ran things, though he did care that it seemed he couldn't really get in trouble for anything. The Sun was all about helping the less fortunate, and if that meant he was less in fortune to the rulers of Corona, then he was fine with it. As long as he was still the general not-to-be-messed-with guy everyone thought of, who was he to challenge the Sun's idea of dependant? He was all for free things and no punishment.

But, of course, he could still get arrested only for one or two nights unless a serious crime was commited, which it never was. So he avoided the officers expertly. There were few of them milling about daily, and none of them really took their job seriously- really only in it for the benefits and slightly higher pay raises. And girls, but they left that bragging card at the bars before putting on the uniform. They didn't have very much to do, for Corona was mostly crime-free. Petty theft jobs weren't anything serious, and Flynn really only stole to survive. Not big things- although the job he was planning seemed to be pretty huge. Who knows? The Sun probably wouldn't even notice a missing crown. After all, there wasn't even a princess to own the crown. Corona could still function as a monarch, Flynn supposed. There was still a castle, and the rulers _did_ live there. But the Sun wasn't really just a King and Queen. It was a bunch of people who ruled over Corona and kept order and promised peace to the poor unfortunate souls that needed it. Like Flynn Rider. And the two Stabbington's who were going to help him lift the crown. If they were lucky, which Flynn usually was depending on the situation, and then they'd be able to steal the crown as walk away easily. Maybe even sell it to someplace. Flynn didn't really care what happened after they got the thing anyway. He just wanted to see if he could get away with it.

Flynn sighed, tapping the edge of the bridge with a slow finger, a tune coming to his mind as he did so. He wished that he could remember the words to the song, though, and not just a senseless tune. He shook his head- why was he trying to remember something from Engram? That was so long ago… He smirked and the tapping stopped as he rubbed his eyes. It's not that he was tired or that it was late, he just rubbed them for something to do as he waited.

Footsteps. Light ones across the stones that held the bridge together made him turn. Finally, almost an hour late, he assume-

But wait, this wasn't right. In front of him weren't two bulky red-heads with deadly-looking scars. Scars that Flynn himself had inflicted while the three were at Engram as kids. But no, this small form wasn't the Stabbington's at all- in fact it wasn't even a boy. A small, petite girl with extremely choppy hair that reminded him of a hedgehog.

Flynn didn't want to frighten the girl- her head was looking at her feet as she shuffled along slowly. She seemed to be talking to herself about something really important- or maybe not important, maybe just talking. The girl was wearing a cloak which billowed out behind her, it was yellow and extremely long, dragging out behind her purple dress as she moved, the wind blowing it in many directions at once. It still managed to remain somewhat untangled, however. Flynn shrugged, coughing a bit so as not to startle the oblivious girl.

"Hello?" He asked, speaking a bit too loudly. Naturally, the young girl jumped and looked up, pulling her hood up around her head almost as if instinctual. Some else moved on her shoulder, a speck of green that Flynn hadn't noticed before. But it was gone in a moment as he focused on the girl's face. Immediately he noticed her eyes. They were large- the largest he'd ever seen and the brightest color of green. Almost as if there was another layer of green underneath that hadn't existed before it's appeared on her. Small freckles littered her face, almost invisible in the moonlight. She looked at her shoulder for a second a movement that Flynn thought extremely odd, but then she addressed him.

"Hi." Her voice was strong and quiet at the same time. "How are you?"

"What are you doing out here so late?" Flynn asked, ignoring her question and crossing his arms. Why should he care, though? He sounded like a disapproving parent reprimanding his daughter for being out late with a boy. Or perhaps he was the boyfriend, angry with this girl for not being home and safe. But again, why should he care? She could just walk on and he'd never see her again and it wouldn't matter.

"I'm-um…" She stammered, fiddling with the clasp on her cloak. "I'm afraid I'm a bit lost. I'm trying to get to Corona."

Was this girl for real? The Kingdom was right there- in fact it was extremely obvious. Flynn was pretty sure it was miles away from any other kingdom, and it's not like this girl could have walked all the way from another kingdom, not with that huge cloak anyway. He looked at her, cocking his head to one side.

"Um, Corona is right there," he said, gesturing with his thumb to the large village behind him.

"Oh so _that's_ Corona!" The girl said, grinning and looking to her shoulder again. Flynn wondered why she insisted on doing that, was it a defect of hers? No, there was something there. The girl kept muttering excitedly to the little green mound thing, Flynn decided to call it a frog. She bounced a bit, looking from the frog to Corona to Flynn. Flynn was following her gaze and looking at Corona's silhouette, so when she sneezed he complimented her with his usual response.

"I didn't sneeze," She said, which caused him to turn to look at her. "Huh?"

"I introduced myself- I'm _Rapunzel_. Not achoo." She sounded a bit, hurt, but smiled nonetheless.

"Oh," He said, blinking a bit. That was a strange name, but she was a strange girl so it made sense. "Well, sorry, then I guess." Why was she looking at him like that? Like he was the most interesting thing she'd ever seen, like he was the first person she'd ever had a conversation with. An extremely weird conversation. He sighed, sticking his hand out. "The name's Flynn Rider."

She looked at his hand, frowning a bit. "It's not doing anything."

What was she talking about? He wanted a handshake, not a trick or anything. "No, um I-" He looked at her- no way this was real. "It's a greeting?" He suggested. Yeah, his poorest greeting ever. There was none of the usual charm about it.

The girl, Rapunzel, grinned suddenly, seeming to comprehend it. She stuck her hand out. "The name's Rapunzel!" She said triumphantly looking to her frog thing with a smile.

Flynn chuckled a bit. "Not quite. Here." He took her hand, small and surprisingly soft, and slowly moved it up and down once. He let go quickly, dropping his hand to the side and looking past her as the two Stabbington Brother's came out of the Forrest. Super.

He looked back at Rapunzel, who was staring at her hand as if it was enchanted. "Look kid, you better get going. Corona's right there."

She suddenly seemed afraid of going into the Kingdom shuffling slowly forward. "Um, but where are you going, Flynn?" She asked, looking back at him.

Where was he going? Why should she care? "I've got business to-"Why was he telling this to her? She didn't need to know- they'd just met. So why did care if she knew what he was doing in the middle of the night? "I've gotta go. But go to Corona, or something. Maybe I'll see you around sometime." Maybe? Why would that matter? He never 'maybed' with a girl before. Sure he told them 'maybe next time' or something, but it never meant anything. But something in Rapunzel's expression, like he'd just promised her the world, the way she sort of skipped into Corona, turning back to him as her cloak followed in a billowing wind behind her. The little wave she gave and the smile that reached her ears. All of this made Flynn think…maybe.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

Rapunzel was in awe at the Kingdom. "Pascal, look!" She said, her voice tittering over a whisper as she pointed to an apple cart. "Look! Apples!" She'd never seen so many apples in the same place- how did they all get here? Was there some sort of underground apple federation? Maybe they had secret club meetings every other day and anyone who came would have to bring something apple related. She wondered how many apple related foods there could be. She could only think of a few: apple pie, cake, cookies…She assumed there were more though. After all, how many people just ate plain apples?

She looked at Pascal, grinning. "I wonder where all the people are," she said to herself. It was extremely early, and maybe that was why there were only one or two people out and about. But she'd spoken to them eagerly, learning about their professional and hobbies. She had even talked to the apple cart owner for a bit. His name was Maddox. But he'd gone inside, and she and Pascal were alone in Corona again.

Rapunzel sighed, walking along the cobbled road towards what looked like a large fountain. Was that the word? "Hey, Pascal?" She asked, pointing to the fountain in the center of Corona. "That's a fountain right? Like in the book from yesterday?" Her little friend nodded that it was, in fact, a fountain. Rapunzel grinned, running up to the water and sticking her hand in it. It was cold, but she didn't jump back. Fascinated with the new thing, she laughed, flicking Pascal with a bit of it. "Wow!" She said, giggling as she cupped her hands full of the clear liquid. "You'd think it'd be really dirty huh Pascal? But you can see right to the bottom!"

"Rapunzel?"

She spun around, the water flying out of her hands and getting Flynn Rider's hair wet. She also got tangled up in her cloak, but managed not to fall over like she usually did. "Flynn!" She was surprised- she didn't think he was a morning person. She wouldn't deny it- she'd been wondering if he would show up after their introduction last night.

"Hi, Flynn! What are you doing here?" Pascal climbed up on her shoulder, glaring at Flynn. Rapunzel wanted to tell him to cool it, but Flynn spoke up then.

"I could've asked you the same thing. You're not from around here, are you?"

Rapunzel shook her head. Was it that obvious? She sighed inwardly. "Um, no- I'm not. I've never actually been to Corona before- well, that's why I was lost yesterday you see." Of course he saw. He was there when she asked directions! She hadn't realized Corona was this close. She thought about explaining more, but then a picture caught her eye. "What's that?" She asked, her eyes locked on a large mosaic mural close to the center of the Kingdom. Rapunzel ran over to the wall of glittering tile, her cloack following her. She was half surprised when Flynn came too. "What is it?" She breathed, touching the tile lightly. It was cool to the touch and beautiful to behold.

"It's the Lost Princess and her Mom and Dad. The King and Queen?"

Rapunzel shook her head, indicating that she didn't know who they were, or the story of the Lost Princess, if there was such a thing. She asked Flynn to elaborate.

Flynn shrugged. "Well, it was a really long time ago- Corona doesn't even have a monarch any longer. Corona used to be ruled by the King and Queen. They had a child- a little girl."

"What was her name?" Rapunzel interrupted, looking from Flynn to the little blonde baby. She had really green eyes. As green as Pascal. Maybe the same color green as Rapunzel's own eyes."

"I don't know," Flynn shrugged. "Nobody does. The baby was killed before the official birth certificate was released."

Rapunzel blinked, stunned. "Wait, who killed her?"

Flynn stared at the picture. Rapunzel couldn't help but notice how focused he seemed to get when he was telling the story. Like it was his job to tell lost misfits about Corona's history. He got so..serious. Or maybe that was just what she saw in him. She turned back to the mural. How painfully sad- the poor girl.

"Well, that's the thing. When the citizens found out, it was a big controversy. See, the night the baby was..well, taken or killed was interesting. Because, from the King and Queen's reports, someone broke into the castle and took the girl."

"Took her? Well then she's just stolen and not dead," Rapunzel commented. Silly Corona. Why did they seem to assume the worst?

"Well there was a lot of blood actually," Flynn explained, which surprised Rapunzel. "So naturally, they though their daughter was dead, the King and Queen did." Flynn sighed a bit, pausing before looking from the mural to Rapunzel.

"Well, the Queen was extremely grief stricken. She jumped from the baby's room." He pointed to one of the taller towers of the castle. Rapunzel followed his point and gasped when she saw the immense height. She looked back at Flynn."And she….?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yeah. On impact."

Rapunzel looked down. That poor woman. She wiggled her toes because it seemed like the appropriate response for someone who was in silence about a death. Or was it? This was the first time Rapunzel had ever heard about such a kind person who died. She assumed the Queen was kind- she was a queen after all. They were probably the kindest people around. She sighed, thinking. "Did the King kill himself after?"

"Wow," Flynn said, nodding. "How'd you guess?"

"Well, I mean, if you've just lost everything, why would you want to be burdened with a Kingdom?" Rapunzel said, almost without thinking. It just seemed like something that would be natural. If you're alone, then why would you want to _be?_

Flynn looked at her for a moment. "Well," He said, clearing his throat. "I've gotta get going."

Where was he going all the time? Rapunzel shrugged, figuring he was just a really busy guy. She wished he could stay a bit longer though. "Okay," She said, not speaking her mind for the first time she could remember. She was…Repressing herself. Extremely strange for her, but she could find things to do during the day. After all, this was a new place entirely. She could find lots of things to do!

"Well, I guess I'll see you around, Flynn!" She said, grinning and waving a bit. Flynn looked like he wanted to say more, maybe even stay? Rapunzel and Flynn stared at each other for a moment.

"Um, yeah. See ya later, Rapunzel. Stay out of trouble." He smiled, waving a bit before headed towards the bridge she'd come across yesterday, which seemed a long time ago.


	3. Chapter 3

Flynn groaned and rolled his eyes, leaning back against the chair he was seated in at the Snuggly Duckling. Why Shorty and Hookhand _had_ to be constantly singing and reading poetry and shouting would forever remain a mystery to him. He leaned forward, opening his eyes again and taking a sip of his drink- Scotch? Whiskey? Oh who cares. He downed it anyway. Perhaps it was a good thing that the thugs were being so loud- wouldn't want anyone overhearing his table's conversation.

He looked across the table to his red-haired partners, who looked at him with blank expressions. He was supposed to say something.

"Right sorry- what was the question?" Flynn asked, shaking his head to focus.

"How are we going to get it? Same plan as before? Lowering from the roof?" the one-eyed Brutus asked, looking at his brother, Marcus, for a second before doing so.

Flynn looked at him, shrugging on the outside but wondering why he would even need to ask the question. "Sure, I mean as long as I'm not dressed as a ballerina I really don't care." He really just wanted to go home- he was bored and debating just taking a few drinks for the road.

"Who was that girl you were with?" Brutus voiced his next question with ease, smirking, obviously more interested in the girl than planning to lift a crown.

This unnerved Flynn greatly. How the hell had they seen Rapunzel? She'd skipped off so fast that if horses could skip, she'd have beaten them- she was really excited to see that kingdom. And it had been midnight. He looked at the Stabbingtons, shrugging. Be cool Flynn.

"She was just some girl," Flynn said calmly, trying to move on to a different topic with his feigning of boredom. It didn't work.

"Oh, well have you seen her recently?" Marcus asked, downing some of his drink. "I mean, she's new to Corona- I've never seen such a small chic before."

Flynn gritted his teeth. Only having just met Rapunzel, he shouldn't have cared so much. But he did, because she was so young and, well, naïve. There was an air about her that made him want to protect her. As Flynn and as Eugene. He glared at Marcus.

"You know she's just a kid, right? She can't even be 20 yet."

"Alright!" Marcus grinned at his brother. "A young one!"

Flynn was seriously going to punch these two. They were being ever dumber than usual and way to disgusting. The thought of one of these guys being in speaking distance with Rapunzel was just gross to him, it was like a killer shark grin evilly at a kitten. He frowned.

"Come on- there are plenty of other girls in the Kingdom. Go find one of them. But that girl's just too young." And too good- he could tell Rapunzel was way too smart to get mixed up with notorious thieves like the Stabbingtons. Like him. He sighed, standing up.

"Next week- the crown," He whispered as Hookhand began pounding out another song on his piano. He stood, crossing his arms and looking pointedly at the Stabbingtons. "Seriously, guys. Just go find someone more…experienced, shall we say?"

The brothers looked at each other and shrugged. Good. Meant they'd headed his advice. Which was also good- he could turn on them any moment- turn the in for corruption against the Sun. He would too- if they tried to get into Rapunzel's panties. He just _did. Not. Like. That. At. All. _

The thought made him wince, and he didn't really know why. As he walked out of the Snuggly Duckling, which would remain open for hours though it was already dark, he thought about Rapunzel. The cute, smart girl he'd met. Most people, when they learned the story of the Lost Princess sighed and said that it was too bad. He'd never met someone who questioned it before. And she had sounded like she'd honestly felt sorry for the Princess' parents- like she could sympathize what had happened to them or something.

He neared his house- a homey little cottage-like structure on the edge of the Forrest somewhat in-between the Snuggly Duckling and the Corona Dock. Abandoned, or so Corona believed, it was dark and small, with a small shed in back and tattered curtains and a broken door that he needed to wiggle a bunch of times to get in or out of. Inside, one would find a somewhat clean living space/kitchen area- since he didn't eat at home often he had no reason to mess it up or tidy it. He didn't have any pets or really any possessions save his wardrobe which he kept up the small flight of stairs next to a cot that served as his bed. The shed in back was mostly empty except for a few horse blankets he kept for no real reason other than the fact that he liked them. He liked owning something, one thing, that could be useful for him and for another person. It was a big deal for some reason. He also stored all the little things he'd pilfered there- things that if the guards were to ever find he didn't care if they were taken: A shoe/toolbox, a collection of glass statues, gold coins (those he cared about a bit more), satchels with little toys and ribbons from his thieving days at Engram.

As Flynn went upstairs, he was tempted to turn right around and go back to the Kingdom, to maybe find Rapunzel and make sure she was okay. But he shook his head. She was fine- the Stabbington's hadn't even gotten a clear look at her- they wouldn't be able to find her.

Two days later, Flynn got his answer.


	4. Chapter 4

Rapunzel had spent the last two days meeting every person she could. And she and Pascal had done very well, meeting almost everyone at least once- and the locals almost twice a day, maybe more. She'd met people who smelled interesting, like Maddox the Butcher who gave her and Pascal free sandwiches when they cleaned the shop; like Rubert who sold them flowers which Rapunzel put in the Snuggly Duckling to brighten up the place; and she _really_ liked Jezz the candy shop owner who, she learned, brought the Pub Thugs candy every Tuesday and Thursday. She'd been staying in a spare room of the Snuggly Duckling for the past two days, and in exchange she had a job! She and Pascal met people at the door (which was how she met everyone) and sometimes showed them to their table if it was crowded.

But the one thing she loved more than anything about Corona, better than the free flowers and candy, was that the people treated her like she'd been there all her life. Not like she was some strange cloaked girl from the woods, which really she was. Maybe they were all harboring secrets like her- maybe that's why they accepted her odd appearance so easily. And she was in love with everything about Corona, too- the smells (like fresh bread every single morning), the sounds the horses' shoes made, kind of alike an equestrian tap-dance, and the amazing people.

Two days since she'd last seen Flynn, she was going around the Snuggly Duckling arranging the flowers, or trying to, when something about the place caught her off guard- there was practically no color in the bar. Sure, there were some paintings, but they were all faded and she couldn't figure them out. So, after she'd fixed her flowers, she'd went to the nearby river and smashed rocks, mud, dirt, flower petals, and special shells she'd bought (with her own money that she'd made!) and had created a collection of some paints, yellow, green, blue and a rusty red color. All of them were going to be perfect, she decided as she carried them back in her massive yellow cloak. She was seated at the bar, painting a collage of vines along the side, when the one and only Flynn Rider walked in the door, muttering something and looking quite upset.

Rapunzel waved at him, grinning when she first saw him, then frowning slightly. He looked awful- like he hadn't slept in the past few days, heavy bags under his eyes and a slouch that was also quite tight- like he could spring into action but only if he really had to. Otherwise, he looked about ready to collapse.  
>"Hey, Flynn," Rapunzel said timidly. "What's up? Haven't seen you in a while! How have you been?"<p>

Flynn looked at Rapunzel and to her elation, he smiled and ran a hand through his hair. "Hey. I've been doing fine- just haven't been sleeping much lately. How are you? I hear you practically run this place now."

Rapunzel's mood at his mood brightened, and she grinned. "Well Pascal and I certainly have our hands full!" She turned around and pointed to her new paints. "We're going to paint things today!" She told him, imagining the whole bar covered with her pictures. It made her feel warm and happy for some reason. She then noticed her cloak was all askew and fixed it, then turned back to Flynn. "So what have you been up to? You look really tired."

Flynn rubbed the back of his neck, and he looked…almost _shy. _Rapunzel had never seen that in him before, and she grew increasingly nervous and curios as to what would make him anxious. He leaned closer to her. "Actually, I was wondering if I could talk you to for a few moments, Rapunzel. In private?"

"Oh- um, of course!" Well, this was odd. Immensely odd. She felt herself blushing for no reason whatsoever, other than the fact that she'd never been asked to be spoken to in private. And for someone as known as Flynn Rider seemed to be (or so she'd heard) was it a big deal? It seemed like it was, so she followed him behind the Snuggly Duckling, glad that the Thugs and Pascal were all doing other things and didn't notice her absence.

"What's going on?" She asked Flynn once they were alone. "is everything alright?"

"Yeah, kind of. I mean, nothing's happened to _me."_ Flynn said, shoving his hands in his pockets. He looked around for a moment. "Rapunzel. I have a very serious question to ask you."

Serious? Oh man. Okay, Rapunzel could handle serious. She even had a serious face, which she put on- (it involved furrowing her brows and looking intently at him.) "What's wrong?"

Flynn looked at her, chuckled a bit, which kind of undermined what he'd said about being serious. He then turned back to being serious and placed his arms on her shoulders. "Have you met anyone from the Kingdom?"

That wasn't a serious question! It was easy! "Oh sure, Flynn! I've met pretty much everyone! Rubert the flower-man, Jezz the candy owner, the Pub Thugs, but that's because I work here-"

"Wait you work at the Snuggly Duckling?" Flynn asked, a level of alarm creeping into his voice. Rapunzel thought she'd made that clear, but nodded again. "Uh-huh! I set the tables and greet people and paint!"

Flynn stepped back and paced a bit, frowning and mumbling to himself. He looked really mad about something.

"Flynn, can you just tell me what you're so upset about?" Rapunzel tried, hoping he would. It had to involve her, or the people of Corona who visited the bar. "What is it?" She felt like she'd asked for the umpteenth time.

"Has anyone ever come into the Snuggly Duckling that has appeared on these?" Flynn asked, then produced a pictured that read 'Wanted', then with a sum of money. Rapunzel studied the picture- this one was of two scarred up men. One had an eye patch. She shook her head.

"I've never seen anyone like that come in before," She said. "No- and neither has Pascal. Who are they?"

Flynn sighed, obviously relieved but still on edge. It comforted Rapunzel that he was glad to know she was safe. Nobody had really taken notice of her before, much less her safety. She was frankly touched. "Are they ruffians? They look like it."

"Yeah. But they're nothing to worry about."

"You seemed really worried," Rapunzel whispered, trying to comfort him. "Don't be. I can handle myself!" She smiled reassuringly. And Pascal wouldn't let anyone touch me!"

Flynn smiled genuinely for the first time. "You mean your little frog thing? Oh yeah, he's a killer." He sighed and puffed out his cheeks. "Say, you have the time?"

Flynn _always_ needed to be somewhere. Rapunzel sighed, wondering where he was always running off too. "Do you have to go?" She asked pathetically.

"Go? Who said I was going anywhere?" He said, raising an eyebrow. "I was going to see if you wanted some lunch."

"It's about 3 in the afternoon!" Rapunzel said, giggling. "But of course!"

"Great. Because I know this one girl who works at a bar…." He trailed off and it took Rapunzel a second to realize he was talking about her. Her! She grinned and elbowed him.

"Mr. Rider! You're picking up other women?" She felt odd after she'd said it. Like…like she owned him? But how could she explain it? She couldn't. She couldn't explain that out of all the people she'd met in Corona, Flynn stood out the most- out of everyone. And, well, she'd wondered if maybe she stood out to Flynn too? What would that mean? Standing out to someone? Did it even mean anything? Rapunzel was letting her mind go skipping through a meadow of dreams, and she needed to reel it in.

But that was hard, and skipping was fun.

"Where to?" She asked, joking as they walked back into the Snuggly Duckling.

Flynn chuckled again, and he called out to Hookhand who was polishing his hook. "Table for two!"


	5. Chapter 5

"Aren't candles supposed to be romantic?"

Flynn thought the question was so out of nowhere and just so…so _Rapunzel_ that he choked on his beer, laughing a bit and shaking his head at the cute question. He set his drink down and looked across the table at her, hands folded. It was remarkably adorable when she copied him, sitting up, folding her hands, and leaning closer as well. He chuckled again.

"What? Isn't it?" She pressed.

"Well yeah, sometimes, but the fact that we're just two friends sitting at a table with a candle doesn't mean we're romantically involved."Flynn noticed Rapunzel's face fall so sharply and with such sadness that he cleared his throat and tried to recover, for his stomach was dipping in an unusual way. "Not that being two friends isn't something…." Isn't something what? Spit it out, Rider. "Well, let's just say I like it."

"You like it?" Rapunzel asked, her voice chirping up an octave, causing Flynn to smile despite his normally blasé composition. He nodded. "Yeah, sure Blondie."

"Blondie?"

"Because of that cloak you wear? It's extremely yellow."

Rapunzel seemed to notice the cloak for the first time, her hands reaching to the hood and pulling it over her head, the brown locks getting into her eyes and cupping her face in a beautiful way, Flynn couldn't help but notice. He was becoming quite attached to her mannerisms.

"Oh, like a nickname!" She said, suddenly excited. "I like it! But you can't forget to call me Rapunzel too, you know. And since I have one you should have one too." She put a finger to her cheek and tapped, thinking. "Well, I can't really call you Goatee-Boy," She said, making an (adorable) face by scrunching up her nose and wriggling it a bit. "What about Smolder?"

"Smolder?" How did she even know about that? He hadn't even pulled it on her. Yet. He pouted a bit, then did a perfect smolder.

"Aha! Yeah, I think I could work with that!" Rapunzel said, pointing and grinning, and Flynn liked her laughter so much that he pulled out of his Smolder mode and smiled.

"But how did you know about that, Goldie?" he asked, finishing his drink, one was enough anyway. "I didn't even show you."

"Oh well a lot of people come in- Is Goldie another nickname? Now I have to think of another one for you!" She said, laughing again. "And I know because a lot of people talk about you and your Smolder, Smolder." She smiled. "Some of them don't like it, and others _really_ like it."

"Well of course they do," Flynn said, waving his hand absentmindedly. "I'm amazing, and of course they like it. How can one not?"

"I don't," Rapunzel said simply, which made Flynn's eyebrows shoot upward.

"Oh really? And why is that?"

"Because it makes you look like you just ate a lemon," She said simply, as if that was all there was to his world famous Smolder. A lemon, and that was it.

"Well, I've never heard that before-"

"You've never heard someone call you unattractive before?" Rapunzel asked, which made Flynn pause and, there it was, the stomach clench from before. She thought him unattractive?

Rapunzel must have noticed, because she quickly recovered, blinking a lot and shaking her head, which caused her hood to fall off. "No no- I didn't mean that you weren't attractive, Flynn! Actually, I think you're very attractive, it's just the Smolder makes you look not as attractive as you normally-" Suddenly she stopped, and perhaps it was because of the amusement on Flynn's face, which he didn't attempt to hide and really should have, but seeing Rapunzel react like this and then blush was maddening. It was just too damn precious. He wanted to hug her, which was very out of character for him.

"Hey, Blondie, it's okay. Not many people can resist my charming, dashing good looks," Flynn chuckled with a flick of his hair.

"Or your humility? I think that's what people like most."

This girl could really play him. Play Flynn Rider just as quick as he could. And he liked it, he really did.


End file.
